Beyond The Water Cooler

Series 2: The how to getting employee experience right.

This was so much fun to record!

Dan Sodergren is a Ted X talker, keynote speaker, ex-marketing agency owner, digital trainer, serial tech start-up founder and now media spokesperson. Quite some profile! 

Some of Dan's main areas of interest are the future of work, remote work and using data, and he is co-founder of YourFLOCK, a team engagement platform based on values.

We unpick challenges and share insights about employee experience, retention and what the future of work is really about, including:

• Why a blanket approach to expectations for employees, including hybrid working, does not work 
• What high performing teams look like and what they need from their leader to enable this
• How managers who find one-to-ones challenging can still find out what they need to know
• Mindset vs generational differences
• How economics will destroy companies if bosses don't listen - it's a simple choice
• Employees in the UK need recognition more than other countries; a fact we can't ignore
• The role of quality data and tech to improve employee engagement and retention
• Feedback to inform employee needs and priorities that are straight forward to action

Dan is a Ted X talker, keynote speaker, ex marketing agency owner, digital trainer, serial tech startup founder and now media spokesperson. Dan's main area of interest is the future of work, remote work, data, green tech and tech startups. He is co-founder of YourFLOCK.co.uk - a team engagement platform based on values.

LinkedIn: Dan Sodergren FutureOfWork

Twitter:

@YourFLOCK

@dansodergren

Website: www.YourFLOCK.co.uk

Email: [email protected]

Gallup: State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report 

Achievers: 4 Ways Pulse Surveys Can Positively Impact Employee Engagement 

Dale Carnegie: Is Employee Engagement Really a Priority?

Eat Sleep Work Repeat: Proof that Flexible Working is a Battle for Equality 

Business Wire: Future Forum Study Reveals Employee Experience Scores Dropping Sharply as Return-to-Office Policies Take Effect, Particularly for Those Without Schedule Flexibility 

People Management: One in five workers feel they receive less recognition working from home, poll finds

Owl Labs: State of Hybrid Work 2022: Europe

YourFLOCK: Calculating The Cost of Employee Turnover 

YourFLOCK: How to Retain Lawyers Without a Significant Pay Rise

YourFLOCK: Cost calculator

Jim Liptrot podcast episode: It’s all about the people – with Jim Liptrot - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

Stuart Neilson podcast episode: Are leaders all they’re cracked up to be? – with Stuart Neilson - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

David MacCleod podcast episode: Thriving in Increasingly Demanding Times – with David MacLeod OBE - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

Workplace Insight to find out what's really going on for your employees: Workplace Insight | It's time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/lisapsychology

Website: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk

Sign up for Lisa's Monthly Bulletin: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk/jointheclub

Email: [email protected]

Series 2: The how to getting employee experience right.

David MacLeod, OBE for Services to Business and Employee Engagement, joins me in this really interesting episode (even if I say so myself!). David talks about his passion and expertise around enabling people to work to their full potential, and he should know a thing or two about it. In 2009, along with Nita Clarke, David produced the Engage for Success report for the Secretary of State for Business, and this really shone a light on how to improve employee experience and business outcomes.

Since then, David has developed the Engage for Success movement, committed to the idea that there is a better way to work; a better way to enable personal growth and organisational growth by releasing more of the capability and potential of people at work. The movement focuses on growing awareness about the power and potential of employee engagement, provoking people to think, to learn and to take action. So who better to share his insights on this podcast?!

We explore a lot (and we could have continued talking for hours!) including:

• How the 2009 report came about 
• Goals vs strategy
• Processes vs people
• What employee engagement really means
• Employee activism
• The evidence that shows people first is a must
• The relevance of Engaging for Success in the current climate
• How organisations can address engagement using four enablers
• The widening gap between good and poor managers
• Top tips for leaders to drive change now

If you're really interested in making a difference to employee engagement, contact us to find out more or check out the Engage for Success Movement - open your mind, learn ways to make a real difference, take action.

David is co-founder of Engage for Success. He is a visiting Professor of the Bayes Business School (formerly Cass), An Honorary Professor of Nottingham Business School, a fellow of the Institute of Marketing, the RSA and a companion member of the CMI. David is co-author, with Nita Clarke, of the MacLeod Report, ‘Engage for Success’ described by the CMI as the definitive work on this subject. This follows an early career in marketing followed by becoming a divisional CEO of a global business. He has been an NED of three Government Departments and has worked for a year and a half in the Cabinet Office. David was awarded an OBE for services to Employee Engagement and Business in June 2013.

LinkedIn:

David Macleod

Engage for Success

Facebook: EngageForSuccess

Twitter: @Engage4Success

Website: engageforsuccess.org

Email: [email protected]

Engage for success website, radio show and report

The Four Enablers - Engage for Success

Engage for Success – Get Engaged video

Employee Engagement Guide For Managers

Engagement surveys...worth it?

Engagement Action Plans

Wellbeing and Engagement in the Workplace; Lisa sharing her view as a guest, talking with Brodie Crighton of Menlo Park Recruitment

Workplace Culture: 14 Steps

Daniel Goleman

Amanda Page

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/lisapsychology

Website: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk

Sign up for Lisa's Monthly Bulletin: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk/jointheclub

Email: [email protected]

Series 2: The how to getting employee experience right.

Sheila Lord, Director of BMR Health and Wellbeing, joins me in this episode to explore the ISO 45003 and how it can benefit employee experience. 

The ISO 45003 is the first global standard that gives employers practical guidance on how to manage psychosocial risks to staff in the workplace, focusing on the “mental health” and “wellbeing” aspects of health & safety. It helps companies build a positive working environment that can help improve organisational resilience, and enhance experience, motivation and performance. It has become essential in a world where the lines between work and home are blurred; it is no longer an optional extra but a right for employees.

We unpick the ISO 45003 as an approach to use as a positive process for informing and enabling change. Included in our discussion is:

• Adopting a holistic approach to planning for positive workplace wellbeing and employee experience
• What the guidance covers
• Company engagement with the ISO standard
• Common psychological risks in the workplace
• Debunking language and considering which terms are useful or a hinderance
• Operationalising wellbeing

Sheila is a great person to speak to for more support getting to know and using the ISO 45003. If you're interested in exploring the themes of leadership, work culture, psychological safety, employee experience and mental wellbeing, why not drop me a line. I'm always happy to chat!

When it comes to mental health in the workplace, Sheila, by her own admission, has learned from her mistakes. She saw first-hand how businesses and organisations weren’t taking mental health seriously and what a detrimental impact that was having on industry as a whole.

To tackle this head-on, Sheila started BMR and today the company leads the way in mental health support programme’s, all of which have a definitive return on investment.

Well known for her ability to ‘cut to the chase’, Sheila believes that workplace wellbeing isn’t just about fruit bowls and yoga and that you can’t simply magic away employee stress by ‘fixing’ people.

LinkedIn: Sheila Lord BMR

Facebook: BMRHealthUK

Twitter: @bmrhealthuk

Website: www.bmrhealthandwellbeing.co.uk

ISO - ISO 45003:2021 - Occupational health and safety management — Psychological health and safety at work — Guidelines for managing psychosocial risks

WEBINAR: Psychological Safety - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

Leading Psychological Safety - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

Psychological Safety - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

Burning the candle - a guide to preventing workplace burnout.pdf (robertwalters.co.uk)

ISO 45003 Workplace Wellbeing - what and why.pdf (ihasco.co.uk)

Long working hours increasing deaths from heart disease and stroke: WHO, ILO

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/lisapsychology

Website: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk

Sign up for Lisa's Monthly Bulletin: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk/jointheclub

Email: [email protected]

Series 2: The how to getting employee experience right.

John Holland, Senior Software Engineer & Mental Health First Aider at Maersk, joins me to explore men's mental health as part of employee experience. 

As a Mental Health First Aider, John provides real insight into some of the challenges that men experience and how to engage with them. But he offers more than that; John is an advocate for a more holistic approach to mental wellbeing. He recognises the role of individual responsibility, of leadership establishing the culture, and the importance of having someone to be by your side, no matter what people are experiencing. 'Walking with your colleagues' is an approach that so many organisations could benefit from.

We cover a range of points including:

• How mental health fits into the wider employee experience and Health and Safety agendas
• How Maersk is approaching work experience, particularly for men
• Creating opportunities to develop employee experience and mental wellbeing when it's beyond the day job
• Challenging the name of Mental Health First Aiders
• Gender differences in experiencing mental health difficulties and seeking help, and how to tackle them
• Shifting the focus from responding to preventing problems
• The value EAPs provide when the breadth of resources and support is known
• Using employee engagement surveys to make a difference 
• Useful tips for men, and practical steps for leaders

John works in IT for an amazing company called Maersk, and within the organisation he is part of a mental health first aid network. They offer support, run webinars and promote wellbeing within the company. Outside of work he presents on a radio station called RunnRadio.com. When he is not working or presenting, he is married with a 10 year old son. Music is a big passion of his and he loves what he does for the radio station.

LinkedIn: John Holland

Facebook: JohnHollandPresenter

Instagram: @johnpholland71

Website: www.maersk.com

Men’s Health Week 2022 – InsideOut (lettheinsideout.com)

Captain Phillips (2013) - IMDb

My Interview on Runn Radio - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

Emotional Needs Audit - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

Wellness Action Plan download - Mind

Wellbeing and Mental Health Platform | Govox - The Proactive Wellbeing Solution

Men's Health Forum | LinkedIn

5 steps to mental wellbeing - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Steve Phillip | LinkedIn - Suicide Prevention Advocate

Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/lisapsychology

Website: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk

Sign up for Lisa's Monthly Bulletin: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk/jointheclub

Email: [email protected]

Series 2: The how to getting employee experience right.

Will Shorter joins me to share his story about his experience of working in a damaging culture. We unpick what was wrong and the impact it had, ultimately driving him to leave the company. That was clearly their loss and a gain for both Will personally and his current employer, EKF Diagnostics.

According the the Culture Economy Report 2021, toxic workplace culture is costing the UK economy £20.2 billion per year, and is causing almost a third of employees to quit their role. That is staggering when work culture has supposedly been pushed up the agenda and become a priority for what we must get right, over recent years.

We explore a number of issues for work culture that companies should be aware of:

• The need for friendly challenge - positive conflict to innovate, share knowledge and improve outcomes
• The need for recognition about what employees invest in their work, and their achievements
• The role of After Action Reviews (AARs)
• Growth and development; a narrow-minded approach to priorities
• Working from strengths and using DISC profiling to increase awareness of ourselves and others
• Micro-management and the need to develop manager skills and mentoring roles

"68% of people who have worked for a micro-manager experienced a decrease in their morale, and 55% claimed it hurt their productivity. Around 36% of employees change job as a result of micro-management."

• The need for feedback to raise self-awareness as a manager or leader
• A conscious approach to embracing and leading change

"86% of employees admit that the purpose and thrill disappear after their ideas got shot down because 'that's not how we do things'".

• The impact of not getting the work culture right; and the need to listen to our gut instinct
• The ability to create a culture for positive employee experience when remote working
• The need to disrupt the status quo and change things that aren't working
• The need for employers to engage with mental health by providing their employees with the tools to help themselves

Global Product Manager of Diabetes Care at EKF Diagnostics, Will Shorter has been involved in product management for over 13 years.

LinkedIn: William Shorter

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.ekfdiagnostics.com

For support to conduct AARs, lead change, develop your work culture and strengthen the competence and confidence of managers, get in touch.

For support with DISC profiling, contact Helen Joy

Workplace Culture: 14 Steps - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

Employee Engagement Guide For Managers - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

26 Why Employees Quit Statistics That You Should Know (2022) - Soocial

Micromanagement: What Is It? Why Do People Do It? How Can

You Spot It? - Development Academy (development-academy.co.uk)

2 Ultimate Reasons Employees Quit Their Jobs And Why It Will

Get Worse (forbes.com)

The Culture Economy Report 2021 | Breathe (breathehr.com)

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/lisapsychology

Website: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk

Sign up for Lisa's Monthly Bulletin: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk/jointheclub

Email: [email protected]

Series 2: The how to getting employee experience right.

Lydia Berry, Founder and Director at Waymaker Consulting is a phenomenal woman. Her personal story that she shares here tells us a lot about why she is who she is today. Lydia has been able to draw on her tragedy 10 years ago to reframe her weaknesses, challenge her fear, and lead her team with a clarity about what provides the most meaningful experience at work. 

Lydia's story is one about child bereavement. If you are affected by this and would like to seek support, you will find the details of Sands below, an organisation that Lydia highly recommends.

Here is some of what we explore:

• Leader self-awareness as a determining factor of employee experience 
• The difference that leadership style makes
• The impact of our personal traits on our mental health, if we are not self-aware and able to take control
• Other's perceptions and how they can drive our behaviour
• Reframing weaknesses to become strengths
• Using personal journeys to shape how we lead the experience of our employees 
• The recognition and role of fear, and using it to drive personal and business development
• Practical steps for leaders to bring out the best in their teams – to help them thrive and perform

Founder and Director at Waymaker Consulting, Lydia Berry is a strategist, planner, practical partner, future-proofer, compassionate sounding board. Being able to come in with fresh eyes, survey the current situation and see the best way forward is something Lydia has developed over the years. The Waymaker Way offers businesses practical, logical, strategic and realistic changes that will directly impact the bottom line. We make a WAY for your business to grow.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lydia-berry-118888169/

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.waymakerconsulting.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/WaymakerConsulting/

Instagram: @waymakerconsulting

Is Fear blocking your leadership? - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

Consider yourself a good leader? - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

How A Lack Of Self-Awareness Leads To Ineffective Leadership

(forbes.com)

What Self-Awareness Really Is (and How to Cultivate It) (hbr.org)

Sands (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity)

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/lisapsychology

Website: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk

Sign up for Lisa's Monthly Bulletin: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk/jointheclub

Email: [email protected]

Series 2: The how to getting employee experience right.

This episode is a little bit different. Having had a great conversation with Dave Harms in my last episode about remote working, I felt there was a bit more to add. I wanted to share with you some strategies for leaders to use when planning remote working, to help it become more effective.

I hope you find it helpful. Don't forget to listen to Dave and I discuss the topic first, in episode 13.

Here are some resources that might be of interest too:

By the Water Cooler Episode 13: Remote Working - Part 1: A Dirty Secret - with Dave Harms

Transcending Leadership in the Tipi Tickets, Tue 24 May 2022 at 09:00 | Eventbrite

Stress: Checking-In - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk): Strategies to give managers confidence

Employee-Engagement-Guide-For-Managers.pdf: A framework for leaders to engage teams

Wellness Action Plan download - Mind

Stress Mapping - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk): Identify and tackle the stressors

Too passive to de-stress? - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk): A framework for team discussion

Owl Labs

MHFA England

American Psychological Association

Topia research: Employee Experience: A Buzzword That Means Different Things (cxotoday.com)

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/lisapsychology

Website: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk

Sign up for Lisa's Monthly Bulletin: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk/jointheclub

Email: [email protected]

Series 2: The how to getting employee experience right.

Dave Harms, partner at Valentine Thomas & Partners, specialising in senior searches for investment management firms across the globe, has an informed perspective on remote working, as it is a conversation he is engaging in with most clients.

We discuss remote working, the current context, and the how to think about a challenge that has no one answer! It's a topic that Dave and I get involved in frequently, exploring what it can look like for companies and how to go about getting it right for both the employer and the workforce. 

Remote working is a broad topic; some of the points we cover include:

• The Pros and Cons of remote working
• Examples in the news about different (and controversial) approaches to remote working
• Does reducing pay make sense from a deliverables perspective?
• The development of different roles to meet current needs in the workforce
• The impact of remote work on different groups gender pay gap
• The benefit of remote working for diversity and inclusion
• The challenge for company culture
• Impact on company reputation, recruitment and retention
• Finding the right fit between potential employees and company culture 
• The courage to ask employees what they want and need
• Best practice for remote working

David is a partner at Valentine Thomas, an executive search firm that specialises in senior searches for investment management firms across the globe, with a focus on the markets in London, Europe and the US. David also co-leads the growing ESG practice at Valentine Thomas where his works includes hiring talent in the areas of sustainability, impact and SRI.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-harms-22b1b07/

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.valentinethomas.com

Transcending Leadership in the Tipi Tickets, Tue 24 May 2022 at 09:00 | Eventbrite

Just another Buzz Word? - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk): Employee experience

owl lab

ISO 45003:2021(en), Occupational health and safety management — Psychological health and safety at work — Guidelines for managing psychosocial risks

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/lisapsychology

Website: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk

Sign up for Lisa's Monthly Bulletin: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk/jointheclub

Email: [email protected]

Series 2: The how to getting employee experience right.

I really enjoyed this conversation with Maureen Robson-Norman, Founder and CEO (Chief Engagement Officer) of Whyaye. The name of her company says everything... it is different, with fun and connection being at the heart of what they do, "Putting the yay into every day!"

We unpick transformation in terms of changing the way people work, through their learning, mindset and engagement. A key part in enabling that is removing the need for hierarchy that exists in most organisations. 

The traditional progression ladder, that is the basis of promotion in most companies, means that even the idea of considering changing this sends shivers down the spine! It does take courage but it is worth exploring, particularly when you listen to Maureen and I delve into why we need to think about hierarchy, status and development differently: 

• Brutal honesty to embrace change and breed the right behaviours
• The driving force: to be kind and to be brave
• How role titles can undermine psychological safety
• The development of self-concept
• The role of leadership
• Conscious use of language; challenging the norms
• Experience and expertise vs seniority and how this shapes mentoring
• The need for status and how to achieve that outside of job titles
• The real difference getting employee experience right can make
• How to go about flattening the hierarchy and creating the right experience

Maureen co-founded Whyaye with Anna Bissett and Lisa Smith. She has shaped Whyaye to stimulate open-mindedness and challenge the norm to transform ways of working. She has a passion for driving positive business change across large global enterprises and her previous experience is in the delivery of global digital and HR transformations across a range of industries.

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/maureen-robson/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/whyaye/

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.whyayeltd.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/why_aye_ltd/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/whyayeltd

Flattening the hierarchy is just one of the approaches informed team leaders might use: Ingredients for Leaders - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/lisapsychology

Website: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk

Sign up for Lisa's Monthly Bulletin: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk/jointheclub

Email: [email protected]

Series 2: The how to getting employee experience right.

This episode is a little bit different! Celia invited me to join her to talk about planning for positive employee experience within a clinic setting. It made complete sense to share this conversation on Beyond the Water Cooler as we cover so many aspects that I talk about each week.

There are a number of different strands that we explore, including:

• How leaders can enhance the team experience, at an individual, team and whole-organisation level
• Unpicking the behaviours necessary for people to feel safe to engage in the team experience; actions speak louder than words
• The 'why' of our role, recognition of our value, connection, belonging,
• The need for positive conflict vs we're too nice for feedback
• How to introduce a new culture or initiatives and keep the enthusiasm alive
• Looking for specific opportunities and overcoming challenges
• Listening to your gut
• Clarifying your role; your team vs service delivery
• The expert vs the manager; challenging hierarchical models
• How to position the business in the recruitment drive to attract the best team members
• Changing the recruitment focus and communicating real employ experience

Celia Champion is the owner of Painless Practice. Celia specialises in supporting health practitioners on the non-clinical, business side of their practice. Whether you want to grow your practice, plan your exit strategy, get a better work life balance or manage your practice and team more efficiently and more successfully, Painless Practice are able to help. Celia and her team are passionate about seeing practitioners enjoying their work and achieving their vision. Celia co-authored ‘Seven Pillars of a Painless Practice and is a leading keynote speaker in her field.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celiachampion/

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.painlesspractice.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/painlesspractice

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/painlesspractice/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/celiachampion

Fear Less by Dr Pippa Grange

The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek

Drive by Daniel Pink

Radical Candor by Kim Scott

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/lisapsychology

Website: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk

Sign up for Lisa's Monthly Bulletin: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk/jointheclub

Email: [email protected]